“The only trouble I caused was for the other suspect in my father’s murder who got off scot-free.”
“There was another suspect?” Nash pulled a piece of bacon from his sandwich and stuffed it in his mouth.
“He was the guy’s cousin. He warned him that my father and my father’s partner were coming. He gave the killer an opportunity to get the jump on my father, which in turn led to my father’s death.”
“He was never charged?”
“No.” Emily transferred her whirlpool activity from her tea to her soup, and red waves of bisque slid over the sides of the bowl. “And I was going to remedy that.”
“Oh, boy.” He put two fingers on her wrist. “Stop making a mess and eat your soup.”
She stopped stirring the soup and tapped her spoon on the edge of the bowl. “You see that? You’d make a great dad.”
He dug into his sandwich. Why was she pushing fatherhood on him? Did she figure she could visit him...and Wyatt? He wouldn’t mind that one bit, and Wyatt would be over the moon, but he couldn’t use a baby to get a woman. If he refused to take custody of Wyatt, which he could do, would Emily drift out of his life?
That poor kid had already been used as a pawn—including by his own mother if Brett were to be believed. He didn’t want to accept that Jaycee had planned to use Wyatt as a blackmail chip to get money out of Lanier, but as he’d told Emily, that would be a total Jaycee move.
Emily would have to want to see him for him, whether or not he had Wyatt—and his decision to care for Wyatt was too weighty to include an ulterior motive.
If he did take Wyatt, he’d need a nanny—a real one.
Emily waved her spoon in the air. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nannies.”
“That’s a good sign.” She dragged her napkin from her lap and patted her lips all prim and proper as if she were auditioning as a nanny again. “You’re right. This soup is delicious. I may even snag a few more of those chips from your plate.”
“Be my guest.” He shoved his plate toward her. Her depression over Wyatt had lifted either because he’d distracted her by asking about her father’s murder...or because she felt confident in seeing Wyatt again when he took custody of him.
Either way, her return to life dispelled his own sadness. He had to believe Wyatt would be fine—with or without him as his father.
He lightly smacked her hand reaching for another chip. “I didn’t know you were going to eat all of them.”
She spread her fingers and held them out. “Greasy and salty—my two favorite food groups. I need to hit the ladies’ room to wash my hands.”
“Go ahead. I’ll pay.” He swirled his finger in the air. “We’d better wrap this up and go get your car out by the border before it gets dark. We can pick up Denali first, and he can come with us.”
“Do you think we might be in danger retrieving that car?” She crumpled a napkin in her fist. “They must’ve followed their GPS out there, and I’m sure the tops of their heads blew off in unison when they discovered what we’d done.”
“That’s why I want to go out there before dark, and I’m taking you as my sidekick.”
“Wait, maybe you’re my sidekick.”
“I’ll be the Doc Holliday to your Wyatt Earp any day, Officer Lang.” He saluted.
She didn’t even get mad at him this time for calling her Officer Lang. Instead, she gave him a smirk as she scooted out of the booth.
By the time she returned from the restroom, he’d paid the bill and gulped down another refill on his iced tea. “Ready?”
As Emily slid into the truck, she put her hand on his arm. “Do you think Alice has taken Wyatt by now?”
“Probably.” He snatched her hand and kissed her fingers. “He’ll be fine.”
They swung by Kyle’s girlfriend Meg’s place to pick up Denali, and she handed Nash Emily’s keys. “Does this have anything to do with the body found out by the border yesterday?”
“You don’t need to know, Meg, but that body?” Knots tightened in Nash’s gut. “That was Jaycee Lemoin.”
Meg covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide in her face. “Oh, my God. Does your sister know yet?”
“Not yet. I’ll call her later. I doubt she’s going to hear this news in New York first.”
“I hate to say it...” Meg shook her head. “No, I’m not going there. No matter what Jaycee was up to, she didn’t deserve to get murdered.”
“I agree.” Nash scratched Denali’s head as the dog thumped his tail against his bare leg. “Tell Kyle thanks for me, and I’ll catch up with him later.”
“Okay. Be careful out there.” Meg showed him out and then stepped onto the porch and waved at Emily waiting in the truck. “She’s a cute girl. Is this one going to stick around for more than a few weeks?”
“She’s not... We’re not...you know.” Nash bent over to grab Denali’s collar so Meg couldn’t see the heat wash into his face. He felt like he was back in elementary school.
“Riiight.” She slammed the screen door before Nash even made it off the porch.
He let Denali jump into the back seat of his cab, and Nash plopped down behind the wheel.
Denali sniffed the car seat and whined.
Emily twisted in her seat. “I know, boy. We miss him, too.”
She undid her seat belt and ducked into the back seat. She popped back up, holding a stuffed caterpillar in her hand. “Oh, no. We forgot Wyatt’s caterpillar. It’s his favorite.”
“I’m sure DCS will have lots of toys for Wyatt.”
“Really?” Emily whacked him on the back of the head with the caterpillar, which squeaked. “It’s his favorite, Nash. He’s going to an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. He needs this caterpillar.”
“This is not an excuse to get another glimpse of Wyatt, is it?” He
